Updated

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has agreed to treat mail-in ballots in Georgia’s Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections as express mail, according to a recent report.

The USPS reportedly struck a deal with civil rights groups, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Vote Forward, to treat ballots still in processing plants within three days of Jan. 5 as next-day delivery.

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Under the agreement, the agency will route completed ballots in Atlanta directly to vote-counters, conduct more robust sweeps for misplaced ballots, and track the results daily, The Washington Post reported this week.

The deal effectively avoids a major lawsuit ahead of the two Jan. 5 elections that will determine what party holds the Senate majority. Plaintiffs said they would hold off on pushing for more operational changes if the USPS held up its end of the agreement.

Results of the two runoff elections between Georgia Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler against Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively, will determine what party controls the Senate in 2021.

Follow below for more updates on the Georgia runoff. Mobile users click here.